The Law,Without The Order
by deathblade8
Summary: They catch bad guys, and look good doing it.
1. Not Your Textbook Police Precinct

The Law, Without the Order

The nine -nine was not your textbook police precinct. It was a veritable blend of some of the most unique people one could ever hope to meet.

It was the only place where you could find a Six Foot tall, black, muscular man sing his daughter's favorite lullaby in the middle of the room and his coworkers being perfectly fine with it, going about their business as usual.

It was the only place where a stare from a certain Latina, dressed head to toe in Black could send shivers down the hardest of criminals.

It was the only place where you could see a cop doubling as a seasoned food critic who had an acclaimed blog to his name, not to mention a sizeable fan following (because let's face it, his was the only blog that measured mouth-feel).

It was the only place a civilian administrator could paint her toenails, update her twitter account, field calls and fill paperwork at the same time; performing all the tasks to perfection without breaking a sweat.

The only place where the smelly feet and fungi ridden toes of a certain pair of ageing detectives was totally no big deal.

A place that gave a Black, Gay Police Officer a chance to prove himself to the department, which had always oppressed him.

It was the place where a man-child in his thirties first discovered his feelings for his over-competitive, Type A partner- cum –competitor .It was the place where the very same over-competitive, Type A partner- cum –competitor fell for him, without her ever realizing it.

The Nine -Nine was not your textbook police precinct. It was a Family.


	2. Mr Bond and Maxi Pads

It's never easy to say goodbye to one of your own. It's even harder to have to say goodbye to two.

An uncomfortable silence has fallen around the precinct in the aftermath of Holt and Gina's departure.

Amy Santiago retreats to the evidence lockup to seek refuge in the confines of the paperwork she loves so much. This is where she comes when she is unable to get a break on her case, or when she is so tired that even coffee can't get her to function. The evidence locker is the place she can unwind. It is her Babylon.

It is the source of some of her best breakthroughs. This is where she comes to deal with the resignation of Captain Ray Holt. Her mentor. Her Rabbi. Her idol.

Weirdly, she even misses Gina and her not-so-subtle sarcasm. She has already forgotten about her frustration with Gina's laid back attitude, her sloppiness, and her utter disregard for rules.

Her train of thought is interrupted by the approaching sound of familiar footsteps and she turns around to see Jake Peralta. His mere presence has the power to calm her overworked brain. Although she would never admit this to him, she is grateful that he is here, right now.

"Thought I might find you here", he says, flashing his signature Peralta grin. His eyes, however give away the sadness in his heart.

It is only in times of adversity that you discover things that are truly important. In that very moment, looking into her Partner's eyes, Amy realizes how stupid she has been, trying to hide from her feelings for him. Her brain rewinds and she can see the images of them kissing, flashing before her eyes. She does not regret that for a second. In that moment, Amy Santiago is fearless, willing to take on life as it comes. She ditches her lists and her carefully laid out plans for the future. Her heart tells her to live in the moment, so that's what she does. She moves forward and kisses him, without fear or restraint. And in spite of all the craziness and the chaos that has entered their lives, in that moment she feels safe. She feels brave. She feels home.

* * *

Jake Peralta had had one hell of a day.

He, along with Amy had managed to capture Brooklyn's most prolific identity thief, Michael Augustine. He didn't know which was the best part of the mission; Kissing Amy in the back of the hotel (to maintain their cover around Augustine), being kissed BY Amy in the park (to maintain their cover in front of the weird Chinese dude), or that moment with Amy (or Dora) in the hotel when she said that he (or Johnny) made her laugh. And not to forget that peck on the cheek from Amy (or Dora…this is getting exhausting!) that had made his heart skip a beat. Sure, catching the bad guy was one of the perks, but to be fair he WAS an AMAZING detective, so it really should not come as a surprise.

The day was the stuff of legends, and nothing and no-one could ruin it for him.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Wuntch entered the precinct with a smug look on her face, and had marched straight into Holt's office like a bird swooping in on her prey. The Door to his office got locked and shutters were pulled down the minute she walked in. After what seemed like an eternity Captain Holt came out of his office, with Wuntch in tow, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

 _This couldn't be good news,_ Jake thought to himself. Looking around, he saw the wary expressions on all of his team member's faces (excluding Scully and Hitchcock that is) matched his own. But the faces of Gina and Terry were uncharacteristically tense.

And just like that, the Bomb had dropped. Holt had delivered an uncomfortably emotional speech about this being the best part of his career. He also made the very same robot voice Jake had made the first time they met. Jake couldn't believe how much he had grown to look up to this man up until this very moment. And just as Holt had begun to leave, Gina, in an unforeseen show of solidarity, had volunteered to quit with him.

Just like that, Jake had lost both his mentor (though he would never admit it) and his childhood best friend.

He needed a place to be alone, to process this insanity. He needed his Babylon.

He needed Amy.

So he went to look for her in the evidence lockup.

He found her in the corner, looking at a rack of old case files. Only Amy Santiago could find solace in such a place. She turned around hearing his footsteps.

"So, a lot of change going around here", She said looking straight into his eyes. And before he knew it, he found himself kissing his partner, trying to tell her with that kiss that he couldn't afford to lose her. And she kissed him back with a passion that equaled his own.

They were forced to break apart when Boyle called out to him, announcing the arrival of their new Captain. Jake reluctantly let Amy go. The fierce look in her eyes emboldened him. She was still here. They were still here. And whatever hurdles came their way, they would face as a team, as partners.

A few minutes later, the nine-nine was gathered around the bullpen, facing the elevator, steeling themselves for the next part of their lives.


	3. Here Comes Al!

The elevator doors open to reveal a tall, gangly man in his early thirties, wearing the blue captain's uniform.

It is impossible to miss the perpetual scowl on his face, as if he would be anywhere else in the world than here. He steps out into the bullpen, muttering inaudibly to himself and looks around at the detectives who are gathered here to meet him. Every single one of them has a fake smile plastered on their faces.

 _They don't want me here,_ he thinks. _At least we have that in common._

"You can call me Al", he says and without further ado, storms straight into his new office, leaving the rest of the precinct dumbfounded.

The team turns around from the elevator to stare at the Captain's Office instead, eyes wide in shock and mouths slightly agape. Al has slumped down in his chair and is now giving his desk a deathly glare.

Ohhhhkayyyy….." Jake says with a half-confused, half amused expression on his face.

"Is it just me or are the speeches getting shorter around here?" Charles wonders aloud.

"To the point, I like it", Rosa deadpans.

"What the hell!" Amy exclaims for the fourth time that day.

And suddenly, Al gets back up and walks back into the bullpen to his new, clearly bemused teammates.

"Sorry about that. It was nothing personal", he says and though he is still sulking, it is evident he genuinely means it.

"It's just that I _friggin'_ hate this job. I never wanted it in the first place. There I was, putting away no-good punks out in the seven-eight. But that Wuntch lady came in today and announced my promotion to Captain. CAPTAIN! I am a detective. I detect. I hate captaining!" He made an audible sigh at the end of his monologue.

Amy looks scandalized at the thought that someone could hate being made Captain. But she keeps her mouth shut.

Terry has a pitying expression on his face. _Looks like he got Wuntch'd too,_ he says to himself. He decides to step in before this meeting can get any more awkward.

"Hi Al, I am sergeant Terry Jeffords. Welcome to the nine-nine", he says extending his hand to his new colleague.

Charles follows his lead.

"My name is Charles Boyle. Pleasure to meet you, Captain….?" he trails off, inquiringly.

"Capone, But I would prefer if you called me Al, none of this Captain nonsense."

Jake Peralta's eyebrows stretch far back into his hair. It's as if Hanukkah had come early.

"Your name is Al Capone? As in the gangster?" he says excitedly."ALL HAIL THE NEW CAPTAIN, THE MIGHTY ALPHONSE CAPONE!" he announces to the entire room.

Al has turned slightly red in the face by this time.

"It's not Alphonse. If you must know it's…it's….." his face is contorted and he is in a massive internal conflict.

Finally he gathers his courage and says"It's Alice". He glares at his new team, daring them to laugh.

One can hear the silence ringing in the precinct as the detectives digest this particular piece of information.

Rosa Diaz is making a superhuman effort keep her sarcasm to herself.

Jake has to try so hard to keep himself from laughing that his face looks slightly constipated.

"Great, then Al it is" Amy attempts to cut through the tension, "Welcome to the nine-nine, Al. You'll like it here. This place is a Wonderland!"

She regrets her words the moment they leave her mouth.

It finally becomes too much to hold in and the entire bullpen erupts into raucous laughter.

Reluctantly, Al joins in.

"Well, it's not my fault my mom wanted a Daughter. And it's not my fault she couldn't deal with it when I popped out!" he says."Also, for the record, I am not gay or transsexual. No judgments, though" he adds hastily ,looking at Charles. The indignant expression on the latter's face is priceless.

"BURN" Rosa and Jake say instantly, hi-fiving each other.

"Hey, Al", says Jake" You're gonna be alright, man. We got your back".

Al smiles "Likewise, Peralta".

* * *

At the end of the day, Al is in his office, going through some crappy paperwork when he hears a knock on the door. He looks up to find Terry and Rosa.

"A bunch us are going to Shaw's for drinks. Care to join us?" Terry asks him.

"Yeah, sure" he says, getting up and gathering up his coat."First round's on me".


	4. Winds of Change

"You don't have to do this, Gina" Holt says as he drives himself and Gina to their new office. "You can still get your old job back. I know you'll miss the squad. Plus, then the succubus would only have ruined one life. Not to forget-"

"Hush, Captain" Gina says putting her finger on Holt's lips. "You are ruining this amazing moment we have between us" Holt remains immobile and continues to stare at Gina until she has withdrawn her finger from his face.

"You are the only person out of that bunch of simple minded train wrecks whom I can truly identify with. Deep underneath both of our calm and sophisticated exteriors lies an animal waiting to be unleashed into the world. We must always stay united, for that is the only way we can RULE!" she says, looking deep into the expressive-as-stone eyes of Raymond Holt.

"Roar with me, Captain!"

"I will not, roar"

"You can't stifle you inner animal forever. Come on! Wuntch got to us, of course you are pissed. Let it all out. This is a safe place, Ray-dawg" Gina elbows him in the chest as she says this.

Holt continues to drive, his facial expression indecipherable. Gina sighs and sinks back into her seat.

Then out of the blue, he steers his car at stops at the curb. Looking at his assistant, he says, "Roar with me, Gina!"

And so they roar.

In public.

In the middle of the afternoon.

In the middle of Brooklyn.

For exactly thirty seconds.

"Don't ever call me Ray-dawg again" Holt says as he steers the car back on to the road.

"You know I will make no such promise"

"Gina"

"Yeah"

"Thank You"

"Don't you get all weepy on me, Morp"

* * *

Rosa calls Marcus for the fifth time that night. And for the fifth time, she goes straight to voice mail.

You've reached Marcus. Please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you.

Rosa knows he switches off his phone while working. His shift at the hospital won't be over until five in the morning. She leaves him a message anyway.

"It's me. Again. Call me when you get this. I need to talk to you or whatever"

She puts down the phone and closes her eyes.

She didn't want to be alone tonight. Holt and Gina's resignation was like a punch in the gut. She cares more for her teammates more than she lets on.

Her phone buzzes, but it isn't Marcus.

"Hey Charles, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just needed to talk to someone. Where's Marcus?"

"He's working the night shift at the Hospital. I am glad you called."

"It was a crazy day, right?"

"Tell me about it. I want to butcher Wuntchandfeed her to the wood chipper." Rosa growls.

"And I want to feed her the clam chowder from the place that we hate. She wouldn't get out of the bathroom for WEEKS!" Charles says. Even on the phone, Rosa can hear the excitement in his voice.

They both laugh. It's been so long since they have laughed together this way. Rosa could feel her spirits lifting already. Charles may be creepy at times but he was her partner. In fact, when things aren't awkward between them, they get along pretty well.

They talk into the early hours of the morning. Then they both fall asleep, phones in hand, too tired to even end the call.

* * *

Terry hears Sharon's car pulling up in the driveway and gets up to greet her at the door.

"Hey, Baby" he says, kissing her on the cheek. "How's my little guy doing?" He asks putting a hand on her belly.

"Great. Dr. Berman said everything's going perfectly" Sharon says as she walks into their living room over to their sofa, where she lies down. Terry sits beside her on the sofa, taking her feet in his hands, massaging them gently.

"Mmmm…. That's the stuff" she says, her eyes closed in relief

"How did I ever get so lucky?" she fondly looks at her husband as she says this.

"I am the lucky one in this relationship"

Sharon smiles "You say all the right things, Terrence Jeffords. How was work?"

Terry sighs "Holt resigned today. Gina went with him."

And he narrated the entire incident to her.

"That sucks" is all that Sharon can say when Terry is finished.

"Big time"

"How's the new Captain?"

"He's all right. He used to be a detective, got promoted out of the blue. More importantly, his name is Al Capone." He says, trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" she exclaims.

"And it doesn't end there. The Al stands for Alice!"

"You don't say" she bursts out laughing, joined in by her husband.

They get up after a few minutes to join their daughters in the playroom.

* * *

"Need a ride?" Amy asks Jake as they leave Shaw's after drinks with their squad. Ever since Jake had sold his old Mustang, someone from the precinct had to pick him up and drop him off. He simply refused to even look for a new car.

I'm not ready to move on just yet, he always said to anyone who suggested this to him.

"Yes. A thousand times, yes" Jake says to her excitedly.

They haven't had the time to talk about the kiss they shared in the evidence locker. The strange events of the day have yet to sink in. There are so many question going through their minds, reason behind Wuntch being so hell bent on getting Holt to resign, the reason why a less experienced detective was assigned as their Captain. Terry had told them at the bar, after Al had left, about how he and Gina had tried their best to stop Holt from being transferred to Public Affairs. The rest of the squad had been outraged to hear that they weren't asked to help. Who cared about arresting a dumb identity thief when their Captain's career was on the line.

But this did not matter anymore. The Captain was gone and for now, they couldn't do anything about it.

They stopped outside Jake's apartment. Jake, however, stayed put.

"Listen, Amy. What happened today, between the two of us, I mean, it was -"

"Amazing?" Amy finished for him.

"Very" Agreed Jake."So , Romantic-stylez, you in?"

"I am if you are"

"I am totally in. Title of my sex-tape" Jake says, with a twinkle in his eye.

Amy punches him in his shoulder and Jakes cries out louder than is necessary.

Jake opens the car door door and turns around to Amy.

"You wanna come up", he asks her "It's kind of a mess so I would understand if you don't want to."

Amy smiles "I would love to, Jake. And since I am your girlfriend as of two minutes ago, the first thing we'll do is clean your entire apartment" she says to a clearly horrified Jake.

" Oh my God, What have I gotten myself into?" Jake says as he moves in to kiss his new girlfriend.

* * *

"Who was that tall guy sitting in Holt's office?" Scully asks Hitchcock as they have dinner at the latter's house.

"Yeah, I noticed him too. I wonder if he is Wuntch"

"Maybe"


	5. A Twist in The Tale

Amy Santiago wakes up on the first ring of her first alarm clock. After turning off her other three alarms, she gets up. Her daily schedule operates like clockwork, and even dating a guy like Jake Peralta has not managed to alter her routine.

She reaches for her running shoes from under her bed and puts them on. Tying her hair into a high bun, she grabs her shuffle and earphones and leaves the house for a customary 5 mile run before meeting her boyfriend for breakfast at Reggie's Diner.

Running is the best time of the day for Amy. It kick starts her day better than any amount of coffee. It is not just an exercise for the body, but also for the mind. She has tried to get Jake to run with her, but he always shrugs it off.

 _"_ _It's not the kind of physical activity I have in mind for us, Ames"_ he tells her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. This always earns him a kick in the shins from his girlfriend.

She is looking forward to meeting Jake this morning. They haven't spent time together for the past week. Now that Sergeant Jeffords was on his 3 week paternity leave, their workload has tripled. So while Amy had been working on a double homicide downtown, Jake and Charles were working with the 74th precinct, trying to bring down an illegal firearms operation. They barely saw each other at work and kept missing each other's calls. It was frustrating, but then dating a cop always is.

Her mind is still on Jake when she gets an eerie suspicion that she is being followed.

She raises her cell phone and in its reflection, sees a bald, stocky man, about five feet in height, trailing her. She keeps running and he follows her around every bend in the park. She picks up the speed and manages to lose him for enough time to find a hiding spot behind a tree. She waits for him, armed with her Glock. Just as he approaches, she yells out

"FREEZE, NYPD! PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK AND GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!

He does as he is told. Just as Amy pins him to the ground and begins to cuff him, she receives a sharp blow in the back of the head. Then everything goes black.

* * *

Jake Peralta is asleep on his sofa, having crashed there last night after returning from work, too tired to even get to his bed.

"Peralta, that's enough!"

At eight-thirty in the morning, his alarm rings and the recorded voice of Raymond Holt fills his apartment. Jake checks the time and is about to go back to sleep for another hour when he remembers he has to meet Amy for breakfast.

He takes a thirty second shower, puts on yesterday's jeans and a semi-clean shirt and dashes out of his apartment _._

 _The first time you get to meet your girlfriend in weeks and you are already 20 minutes late. Good job, Peralta._

He walks into Reggie's expecting to meet a thoroughly annoyed Amy Santiago. He is going through the possible scenarios in his mind when he realizes she is not here yet.

 _That's weird_ , Jake says to himself. Amy Santiago is never late.

Never.

He is about to call her when his cell phone rings.

"Precinct. Now" is all that Rosa says and before Jake can utter a word, she ends the call. He detects a hint of urgency in Rosa's voice.

On his way to the car, Jake tries calling Amy. Her phone is switched off. Now, he is officially freaked out. Stepping on the accelerator, he drives over to the precinct as fast as possible.

Panting, he exits the elevator and enters the bullpen to find Al waiting for him. He is dressed in his jeans and sweatshirt rather than his captain's uniform.

"Al what the -" Jake begins to talk before Al cuts him off.

"Everyone is waiting for you. Come on" He says, leading a very confused and worried Peralta into the briefing room. The entire squad except Amy is present. Sergeant Jeffords, apparently back from his paternity leave, is standing at the dais. The entire squad looks at him as he enters.

"What's happened? And where the hell is Amy?"

"Sit down, Jake" Sergeant Jeffords says.

Jake doesn't move.

"Where's my partner?" he repeats.

"Detective Santiago was abducted this morning at zero-seven hundred hours. Here's the security footage we pulled from the park this morning" Terry says gravely as the projector springs to life. All air escapes from Jake's lungs as he sees his partner being carried away by two assailants in hoodies.

"How'd you find out about this?" Jake asks, trying to keep himself as calm as he can.

"She had 911 on dial before she moved in to arrest the guy that was following her. The call was on for fifteen minutes before they switched off her phone."

Terry then plays the audio clip of the call. They can detect the Cuban accent of her attackers.

"What happened next?" Charles pipes up, throwing a concerned look at Jake.

"They drove off in a black '78 Fiat Spider. It was positioned in the park camera's blind spot but the guys from tech were able to retrieve the traffic cam footage from around the time Amy was abducted. They took a left from the signal and that's where lost them. " Terry finishes off.

"Do we have anything on the assailants?" Rosa growls.

"They were careful about concealing their identities. We do not have enough to run facial recognition" Terry says dejectedly.

It's Al's turn to speak up.

"Since Amy lives in the 73rd precinct, it is technically their case. But I had a word with them and they handed it over to us, assuring us their full co-operation. Diaz, you-"

"Track down all the '78 Spider owners in the area?" Diaz finishes his sentence and walks out of the briefing room without ado.

"Right, And Boyle-"

"Go over Amy's past cases to see who has a score to settle with her? On it" Charles says, getting up and following Rosa out of the door.

"I'll head over to the park to see if anyone saw anything" Terry says.

"I am coming with you" Jake tells him.

"You're too close to this Peralta" Al warns him.

"And?" Jake asks, glaring at his Captain.

" And nothing" Al says, "Go get your partner"

Jake and Terry storm out.

"Scully and I will check out Amy's apartment. If they followed her to the park, they must be stalking her for days. We'll check if the neighbors heard or saw something" Hitchcock says.

Al looks taken aback.

"That's the first sensible thing you have said in months" Al says. "Keep me posted"

"Will do, Al" Scully says before walking out with Hitchcock, leaving behind a very confused, albeit impressed Al Capone.

* * *

"Wake up, you little bitch" the bald guy from the park hisses at Amy, throwing a glass of water in her face.

Amy wakes up, dazed and confused.

She looks around and sees a dark, dingy room where she is gagged and bound to a chair.

 _How the hell did I end up here_? She wonders to herself. And then, as the events of the morning unfold before her mind, she remembers.

"Freddie, there's someone here to meet you!" A man's voice shouts from outside.

"Stay right here" the bald guy barks at Amy before hitting her again. He walks out of the door, locking it behind him.

Amy tries to focus her mind, which is running in a million different directions. She manages to spit out the gag from her mouth and struggles with the ropes that have bound her to her chair.

After a few minutes of futile efforts, she gives up. Panting and covered in sweat, she hears voices coming through the door. It seems like the people outside are arguing over something. She recognizes one of the voices. It's a female voice, strict and authoritative.

It is the voice of Madeline Wuntch.


	6. Blast From The Past

_Seven Months Earlier_

Madeline Wuntch is a slave of discipline. She has woken up at the same time, without fail, for the past thirty years. Come hell or high water, her routine is fixed, unaltered, set in stone. Her schedule is like a religion to her, and she prides on sticking by it every single day. Because whatever tumultuous her life on the personal front may be, her routine is the one thing that is consistent. And it is this consistency that has helped her cruise over failed marriages, lost custody battles and failures at work.

She wakes herself up at 4 a.m. sharp. The habit is so deeply ingrained in her that she no longer uses her alarm clock. Putting on her shoes, she takes to the streets of New York City. Her running path is never the same. Despite having spent 30 years of her life in New York, she still manages to discover new places along its different nooks and corners. It is amazing how much secrets this city has tucked inside of it. She had developed an instant connection with this city when she first moved here in the eighties. It felt like home. She had declined dozens of promotions because it would have meant leaving this place.

Being raised in foster homes all through her childhood, she had no place to call home. But that had changed when she arrived in New York. While she was still alone, she found that so was everyone else. If there was ever a place to be happily (lonely) ever after, it was this.

And she was proud to serve and protect its people.

She had a lot of reverence for her job as the Deputy Chief of the NYPD, although she did miss the thrill and high octane pace of hardcore police work. And while the pay raise didn't hurt, she did find approving applications and filing reports day in and day out, a little too boring for her taste. On the days when the paperwork was particularly onerous, her mind would drift off to the good old days, the chasing down of perps along dark alleys, the gunfights and the rush of adrenaline that accompanied them.

What wouldn't she give to go back to those days, she thinks to herself after an extremely gruelling day at the office. A seven hour meeting on budget cuts had drained every ounce of energy out of her body.

As she reaches home, she finds a familiar face sitting at her doorstep. It is Mike Lawson, her retired Commanding Officer. She had worked under him when she was a rookie officer in the NYPD. Back when Raymond Holt was her partner.

"Mikey, what are you doing here?" She says, hugging her old Captain and friend.

"Do I need an excuse to meet an old friend, Chief Wuntch?" he asks her as she releases him.

"Call me that again and I will shoot you" Wuntch says, frowning at him

"Heard, understood and acknowledged" Mike says.

Wuntch unlocks her door and enters her house, followed by Mike.

They talk and laugh together over dinner, sharing anecdotes from the past.

"Mike, why ARE you really here. And don't give me that old friend bullshit, you'll just be insulting me" She tells him later while they are having beer in the former's living room.

Mike smiles at the feisty, no-nonsense woman sitting before him. He gets straight to the point.

"Victor Gambino is back in town. Ray's life is in danger"

Madeline Wuntch turns to stone upon hearing this.

The Gambinos were one of the five families that governed organized crime in New York City during the eighties. Its illicit activities included money laundering, prostitution, racketeering, fraud, extortion, loan sharking and gambling. Victor Gambino was the son of Carlos Gambino, who was the family head.

Raymond had gone undercover in Sing Sing correctional facility as Jesse Winston, a small time criminal arrested for counterfeiting. There, he had befriended Victor who had been thrown in jail on charges of smuggling. Before being released, Victor had given Jesse his number, asking him to call him when he got out.

Six months later, Jesse joined the mafia. He quickly rose through the ranks on account of his friendship with Victor, and became a part of Carlos's inner circle. He had access to their finances and the dates and time of their business deals.

Wuntch went in as Molly, a dancer in one of the clubs owned by the Gambinos. Victor had a thing for Blondes.

The operation had been successful so far, and Holt and Wuntch had gathered enough evidence to put the syndicate away for life. A plan was made to extract the two of them and conduct a full blown raid on the Gambinos.

But a tip from a mole inside the N.Y.P.D had screwed up the entire bust. Holt's cover got blown and Carlos Gambino died in the firefight that ensued. In the midst of the commotion, Victor managed to escape.

The Gambino family had been taken down and Victor was never heard from again.

There could only one reason he was back now. Revenge.

Raymond Holt's life was in danger.

The two of them sit together in silence for a long time. It is Mike who eventually speaks up.

"We need to warn him" he says.

"Like that's going to help. The man is as stubborn as a mule" Wuntch says dismissively "Let's keep it between us until we have more information. If we tell him now, he'll probably end up doing something stupid."

"You still care about him, don't you?" Mike says, smiling at her.

Wuntch looks at Mike. She knows he is right.

In spite of their attempts to belittle and one-up each other, in spite of their public jibes and insults aimed at each other, in spite of him turning down her advances, she still cares about Raymond Holt.

"Well I am his partner. And I am going to have his back, whether he likes it or not" she tells him.

Mike gets up and walks over to the door.

"Well, we have a tough job ahead of us. I'll find out about Victor's connections in the city, and if he has any family members remaining. You try and keep our guy out of trouble"

"Copy that, Captain" Wuntch says with a mock salute.

As she is about to close the door behind Mike, he calls out to her.

"Maddie"

"Yes"

"Victor had a wife, didn't he?"

"He did"

"Do you remember her name?"

"I think it was Marissa. Marissa Capone"


	7. The Truth, Unveiled

**_At the warehouse, present day_**

"You two are exceptionally horrible policemen; It is an atrocity, watching the two of you in action. And your undercover skills are deplorable, to say the least" Wuntch says, staring at the bald man and his partner.

The two rookie cops stay silent, aware of the fact that they screwed up, Big Time.

"What part of follow discreetly is so hard to grasp?"

Both continue to remain mum, heads bowed. It is amazing to see the extent to which the tiny woman has terrorized two fully grown police officers.

"Blithering Idiots" she mutters to herself as she walks in the room Amy is kept captive. The two men follow her inside.

Amy is standing on a chair next to the wall, having broken free of the ropes that bound her. She is now trying to unscrew the bolts from the window with her Swiss army knife, when she is interrupted by the three visitors.

"You can stay where you are, Detective. You're not in any real danger" Wuntch says to Amy.

Amy turns around from the window, still standing on that chair.

"I have been bound to a chair for the past six hours. I have been hit twice. Once in the face and once in the back of the head. I probably have been stalked for God knows how long. What qualifies as danger for you, Deputy Chief Wuntch?" Amy says, exasperatedly.

And then she returns to the dismantling of the window.

They are going to kill me anyway, she thinks to herself.

"Leave the godforsaken window alone, Amy" Wuntch says, with as much politeness as she can muster "And get down from that chair"

The mention of her name makes Amy turn around again. Seething with anger, she is about to give a piece of her mind to that wretched woman, when she is distracted with Wuntch's attire.

She is not dressed in her official NYPD uniform, with her head holding up the tightest bun ever witnessed by mankind. Instead, she is wearing a black, knee-length dress, fit for a formal dinner. Her hair is down with nice, smooth curls towards the ends. She is wearing six inch heels ( _or is it seven_ , Amy wonders in horror). Her eyes are lined with copious amounts of mascara, and her lips are blood red with her lipstick.

"Whoa" is all that Amy can say, all words of contempt lost at the tip of her tongue.

"I'll take that as a compliment", Wuntch deadpans and continues "Did I not ask you to get down?"

Amy stands still.

"You are undercover" She says to Wuntch

"Excellent detection skills, Santiago. Holt trained you well" Wuntch says, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Why am I here?" Amy asks.

"Detective Santiago, meet Officers Paul Reynolds and Fred Bird. They were on your unofficial protection detail before they knocked you unconscious and abducted you" Wuntch says, tilting her head towards the two men standing behind her.

A million questions are running across Amy Santiago's head, causing a mental pandemonium.

"I don't get it. Why was I assigned protection? Why wasn't I told about it? Who wants to kill me? Why am I here? And why are YOU here, looking like THAT?" She ends her last sentence with a hand gesture, pointing at Wuntch from top to bottom.

Just as Wuntch is about to speak, they hear a car stop outside the warehouse. Instinctively, Wuntch and the other two officers draw out their guns and face towards the door.

"It's me" Raymond Holt announces as he joins the four of them in the room.

Everyone lowers their weapons.

"Captain Holt" Amy practically shouts out in relief.

"ex-Captain, Santiago" Holt corrects her.

"Good to see you, sir" Amy says sycophantically. Apparently, being tied up for six hours had not affected her brown-nosing capabilities in the least.

"You are standing on a chair, Detective" Holt says in his usual deadpan manner.

Amy obediently descends from the chair.

"Have you told her yet?" Holt asks Wuntch.

The latter shakes her head, "I was getting around to it when you came in"

Amy finds it weird how civil the two of them are towards each other.

Holt briefs Amy on everything, right from his mission thirty years ago, about how it went haywire, how Gambino escaped years ago, and how he is back in town now.

How Wuntch has gone undercover again as Molly Wallace, Victor Gambino's former girlfriend, who now owns an escort service of her own.

How NYPD and FBI have united again to solve a thirty year old case.

"But that does not explain why I was taken this morning" Amy says, after Holt has stopped speaking.

"Gambino has rounded up his old acquaintances and hired some new men. His target is to destroy Raymond and avenge his family. He is also trying to start the family business again. I am helping him with that, or rather, Molly is" Wuntch replies.

"So that's why you transferred-" Amy begins to say.

"Yes" says Holt.

"But why was I-" Amy says again

"Victor has put a tail on everyone at the nine-nine. He is planning to use my own squad against me. Your protection detail has been tracking your whereabouts for the past month. All of you have been too overworked to notice. Officers Bird and Reynolds here followed you around the park like buffoons, and when you went over to arrest them, they panicked and decided it was best if they abducted you. They brought you to this abandoned warehouse and called us. Of course, we had to wait until we knew Gambino was away before we could get to you. So now, here we are" Holt finished his monologue, much to Amy surprise. She had never heard the man use so many words together at once. His daily quota never exceeded seven carefully selected words.

"We're sorry, Detective" Bird and Reynolds said together.

Amy cannot help but stare at their stupidity. She doesn't say anything, though.

"With all due respect, sir, why didn't you alert any of us? Don't we deserve to know if our lives are in danger" Amy asks Holt. She is a little pissed she didn't figure out she was being tailed until today. Could she even call herself a detective anymore?

"And that is exactly what I would have done. But as it happens, I was overruled" Hunch says, staring at Wuntch.

Wuntch holds her ground "We couldn't risk spooking Gambino. We need to take him down before he ruins any more lives. We have waited thirty years for him, and we are going to ensure we throw his ass in jail, where it belongs."

"What can I do to help?" Amy asks resolutely.

* * *

The nine-nine is buzzing with activity even in the late hours of the night. Every officer, every detective and even the support staff had volunteered to help track down Amy Santiago. The current cases and paperwork of Amy's team have been taken over by the evening shift and the weekend shift detectives. The precinct really moved heaven and earth to take care of their own.

Jake Peralta is sitting at his desk, with his head between his hands. The entire day had been nothing but a wild goose chase. He stares at the whiteboard which has been installed in the middle of the bullpen. A large photograph of Amy has been thumb tacked in the middle, along with the list of people most likely to harm her. There is no intersection between them and the owners of the'78 Spider. Jake feels a pang of guilt every time he looks at Amy's picture. _Why couldn't he have gone running with her?_

He looks up hopefully when he hears Rosa storm inside the bullpen. The glowering expression on her face was enough to convey that another of their leads had gone bust.

No one complains when she sends Boyle's bowling trophy flying across the room in a fit of rage.

Terry Jeffords is at the phone, talking to other precincts, trying to gather any morsel of information on Amy. He had gone home briefly to put his kids to sleep and had returned, despite protests from his team.

Boyle and Al are scanning the board from a thousand different angles, repeating aloud the entire sequence of events for what feels like the millionth time. Every ten minutes one of them comes up with a new theory, which is squashed by the other in a manner of seconds.

Frustration and anger is pervasive in the bullpen. They haven't got squat on Amy and they hate themselves for it.

No one notices Scully and Hitchcock walk in.

"We got something" Hitchcock announces to the room.

"Not now" Jake, Boyle, Rosa and Al say at once.

"But we got a guy" Scully whines.

Everyone looks up at them.

"What?" Al asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, look" Hitchcock says as an officer drags a tattooed man in cuffs and puts him in the holding cell.

"We saw him trailing us as we left Amy's apartment. He even followed us to the Hoagie vendor, who sells stale meat for half the price. It tastes better than fresh meat, actually" Scully says in a matter-of-fact tone.

Everyone wrinkles their faces in disgust.

"Anyway we caught him, and Scully had to sit on him to get him to talk. And he said that not only Amy, but members of his gang have been following every single one of you for weeks. Hoagie, anyone?" Hitchcock retrieves one from his jacket and offers it to everyone.

"What the hell is going on?" Al says exasperatedly. "Who on earth would hate all of us at once?"

"Wuntch" Rosa, Jake, Boyle, Al and Terry speak in unison.

"Who?" Scully and Hitchcock ask.

At that very moment the elevator doors open and Madeline Wuntch walks into the bullpen. Everyone turns around to look at her.

"Captain Capone, a word?" Wuntch asks Al.

"Nope" he says, throwing an irritable fit like a five year old. It is clear he still hasn't forgiven Wuntch for promoting him. He then proceeds to turn his back on her in protest.

Wuntch sighs.

"You are enjoying this aren't you?" She speaks aloud to thin air, it seems.

"Immensely" the voice of Raymond Holt comes from behind her.

"Captain Holt, how did you get here?" Boyle asks excitedly.

"Ex-Captain, Detective Boyle." Holt corrects for the second time. "Stairs" he adds in answer to Boyle's question.

"Where's Amy?" Jake asks concernedly.

"Detective Santiago is completely fine and is currently taking shelter at one of our safe houses."

All of them heave a sigh of relief.

Holt and Wuntch together explain the situation to the team. Everyone is silent when they lay out the plan to catch, once and for all, the don of the eighties, Victor Gambino.

"Count me in" Jake says without hesitation.

"Me too" Charles and Rosa say together.

"Hell, yeah!" Terry Jeffords says, flexing his muscles menacingly.

"Let's go take down my father!" Al says enthusiastically.

"We begin tomorrow" Holt says, looking around at his team with pride.


	8. Moments in Brooklyn-Part1

"You are hiding something from me, Chuck" Gina says to her step-brother at their parents' house for the mandatory Sunday brunch. Darlene is in the kitchen, Lyn is out to get some wine and Charles and Gina are setting the table.

"No-n-no-no-NO! Why would you even think that?" Charles sputters like a fish out of the water.

"While I am a woman of mystery Chuck, and I do love men who lie to my face, my divine aura is sensing something is wrong. You do not wanna mess with the aura, Chuck" Gina says, gazing into the distance.

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is great. In fact, things are better than ever. It's just Marve-HEY!" Charles shouts out in shock as Gina, holds a butter knife threateningly close to his neck.

"Spit. It. Out" Gina whispers as she backs Charles into the corner of the living room, knife still in hand.

"Everything all right?" Darlene calls out from the kitchen.

"All fine" Charles and Gina reply together.

"I can do things with a butter knife you do NOT wanna know about, Chuckie-Boy. And I suggest we keep it that way" Gina advances further towards Charles.

Charles finally, and reluctantly, gives in.

"Oh, alright. I'll tell you after lunch. Just-Just take that knife away from me" he says and Gina finally withdraws the knife from his neck.

They head back to the dinner table, joined by Lyn and Darlene.

After six months, although their lunches are still awkward, the four of them are slowly getting around to the idea that contrary to expectations, this family might actually survive all the way. While Charles and his father have toned down their enthusiasm, Darlene has become used to her husband and stepson's outrageous food choices. Even Gina has tried her best to keep her eye-rolls to a minimum, which, in her opinion is the greatest sacrifice one can make for her family.

After lunch is served (goat curry, spiced rice, lasagna and grilled chicken) Gina and Charles bid goodbye to their parents and walk over to Charles' car.

On their way back to the city, Charles tells her everything. Gina does not react and simply stares out of the window when he is finished. Her silence is unnerving.

When they stop outside her apartment, Charles turns to her.

"We would have told you if we could, you know" he says placating her, knowing full well that she was too pissed off to be calmed. Silent Gina was way more deadly than regular Gina.

"Goodbye, Charles" Gina says, getting out of his car, "Thanks for the ride"

Charles sighs as his stepsister walks back to her apartment.

Al stops his car outside his mother's house late on a Sunday evening. The living room lights are still on, which meant she was either grading papers or preparing for her lecture the next day. Marisa Capone was probably the only American opposed to television; many a times Al had had to sneak out of the house just to watch the Super Bowl at his friend's place.

The memories from the past make him smile, and it almost makes him want to turn around and drive off to where he came from. The idea of hurting his mother was too much for him to bear.

She meant everything to him. She was his mother and father, best friend and teacher; she could bake dinosaur-shaped cookies as effortlessly as she fixed the plumbing. She had managed to work two jobs while raising a son and catering to his every need, always finding the time to return home to help him with his homework. She also taught him everything school didn't, right from changing flat tires to calculating taxes.

Later, when he joined high school, she enrolled in college to get her masters in sociology, and later a doctorate in the same field. She could have taken a job at any Ivy League school she wanted, but had insisted on teaching at the local community college.

 _Everyone deserves a shot at an excellent education, Alice. Not just the rich,_ she told him whenever he brought it up.

It was this spirit that had motivated him to join the Police Force. Everything he was, he owed it to her.

Sighing, he knocks on the door. It was better that she got to know this from him in any case.

"He remembers where I live!" She exclaims as she opens the door, pulling him into a tight hug before he knows it.

"Let. Me. Breathe" Al says, choked by his mother's hold.

"Someone's a drama queen" She says, releasing him.

"You are too strong for a tiny woman!" he exclaims as he walks into the house.

"And you are too whiny for a fully grown man" she says, following him inside.

"Mom, we need to talk" Al says when they sit down.

"What is it?" She says, placing a hand on his arm. The quiver in his voice alone tells her that it's not good news.

"He's returned" Al says as he withdraws her hand from his arm and takes them in both of his.

Marisa stays silent.

"We need to move you to a safer place" he continues.

"I am not going anywhere" she says resolutely.

"But-"

"You heard me. I am done hiding. We both are" she says, looking into her son's eyes.

Al knows the battle is lost.

"You stubborn woman" he says with mock disdain.

"You scared little girl" she teases him.

"To be fair, you did name me Alice"

"What? It's a good name"

"Yeah, for a GIRL"

"I never discriminate!"

They laugh. It's the same argument they have been having for the past three decades. It's still fun.

They hear a knock on the door. Al goes on to open it. Two NYPD officers enter the house.

Marisa stares up at her son, hands on her hips.

"You knew I wouldn't go"

"Yup" Al says smugly.

"Good luck with her. She bites sometimes" he says to the men in blue.

"That's wastage of police resources right there" Marisa says as her son gives her a hug goodbye.

"As a Captain I can waste as many police resources as I want" he says, releasing her.

* * *

Amy Santiago is sitting in her safe house, frustrated and alone. There has been no recent activity on the Gambino front but Holt and Wuntch have insisted on keeping her there for another couple of days. They are her only visitors; she can contact no one from her team and it is driving her insane. The safe house has no television, no internet and no telephones. And Amy is bored out of her mind. She yearns to be out in the field; with the rest of her team. Being kidnapped feels way more fun than being holed up here like a prisoner, under constant surveillance by the NYPD.

She tries her best not to think about Jake, because that only makes the pain unbearable. It has been weeks since she has not seen his silly face, heard his nonsensical jokes, grimaced at his immaturity or yelled at him for his lack of hygiene. It is the same restlessness she had experienced when he had gone undercover last year.

She misses him. She misses him bad.

Just then she hears a knock on the door. Amy gets up from the sofa, runs a finger through her hair, and walks across the living room to open the door. Jake Peralta is standing at her doorstep, grinning from ear to ear.

 _I must be dreaming this_ , Amy says to herself as she stares long and hard at her partner.

"Heeeeeeeeyyyy, Girlfriend!" says Jake, holding out his harms to her

Amy is still staring at him.

"Amy- are you-" Jake begins to say but he is cut off when Amy lunges forward and crashes her lips on his. Jake places his hands firmly around Amy's waist and pulls her closer, kissing her fiercely. Amy has a hand around his neck and another grasping his hair.

After several minutes, they pull apart, arms still around each other. Jake's chin rests on Amy's head, which is buried in his chest.

"I'm glad we lead with that" he says smiling.

"Me too" Amy says, her voice slightly muffled by Jake's T-shirt.

"I missed you, like hell" Jake says.

Amy puts both her hands on his shoulders and looks up at her partner.

"I love you, like hell" she says, looking into his eyes.

Jake is stunned. He always thought he would be the first one to use the L-word.

"I love me too. 'Coz I am awesome" he agrees.

Amy's face is contorted with fury. She grabs Jake by the arm and twists it until he is crying out in pain.

"OW-AMY THAT HURTS! JESUS, WOMAN!" he yells

"Say it!" Amy hisses at him.

"FINE, I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! JUST LEMME GO ALREADY!"

"Wow, that was romantic" Jake says sarcastically as Amy finally lets him go.

"It was the most beautiful moment of my life" Amy nods in agreement.

"Why are you even here?" she asks him as they enter her living room

"Well, your knight in shining armor has come to take you home" Jake says, massaging the arm Amy had twisted.

"WHAT!" she exclaims in delight.

"Yup, let's get packing. We leave in thirty minutes"


	9. We're All In This Together

They are gathered at Hitchcock's house. At this point, there is no safer place in Brooklyn; because even Gambino wouldn't bother to put a tail on Scully and Hitchcock.

Their houses had become their newest meeting points, because of which Scully and Hitchcock were over the moon. Every time when they had invited the squad over for Christmas or Thanksgiving, Jake would fake a heart-attack, Boyle would stand frozen on the spot, unable to come up with excuses on such a short notice; Rosa would flat out say "No" and Holt would simply walk away, pretending he didn't hear their invitation. Gina would break out her sarcasm, which the two of them never really understood, so they simply nodded their heads at the insults she hurled at them. Terry would always play the kids card.

Amy had once taken pity on them and agreed to a Christmas lunch at Scully's. It had ended in tears, and a visit to the ER. Since then, she had taken to making elaborate excuses; which included everything from emergency liposuctions to brutal murders of relatives in Cuba.

"Ughhhh…..Hitchcock, the coffee expired YEARS ago!" says a disgusted Boyle, holding the abnormally swollen can at an arm's length.

"It's the can I gave you six Christmases ago" Scully says, looking fondly at Hitchcock.

"You two need to die in a fire" Gina says contemptuously.

Terry enters the house with a bag full of edibles; no one expected Hitchcock to serve anything that humans could digest.

"FOOD!" Gina exclaimed raising both her arms at the sky as Terry empties the bag and puts boxes of Chinese food in the center of the carpet, where they are seated. The sofas (which smelled suspiciously of cat litter) have been pushed to the corner of the living room.

"And we're here!" Jake announces at the top of his voice, as he and Amy walk in, the latter holding a room freshener and spraying it everywhere.

"Oh, Thank God!" Kevin says, finally withdrawing his handkerchief from his nose.

Charles excitedly gets up and sits next to a very disgruntled Rosa and Marcus to make space for the new entrants.

The number of people aware of the secret had grown each day; Kevin had weaseled it out of his husband months ago, Charles had practically broadcasted it during drinks at Shaw's so Marcus knew as well, he had also blurted it out to Darlene over the phone so they were in on it too. Rosa had punched him in the ribs before the whole of Brooklyn got to know about it.

Al enters, along with Marisa as his plus one. She had contributed a lot to their operation; being one of the very few people who were aware of the internal workings of the Gambinos.

They are waiting for Wuntch, who had gone to meet Victor for drinks. She had not been alone, though. Holt had insisted on accompanying her, and he had waited for her three blocks from their meeting point.

They had unofficially united as partners again, even though they detested each other too much to admit it.

"What's taking them so long?" Marcus asks the group.

"They gotta ensure the coast is clear before they leave. Gambino could have put a guy on Wuntch, it's been thirty years since they met, and he's bound to have his suspicions." Terry tells him.

"It's creepy, really, being followed around twenty-four seven" Kevin says, between mouthfuls of Chop Suey.

"No kidding. We had to take about three wrong turns before we got them off our backs." Amy tells them.

"Same here" Rosa says, taking a swig of beer from her bottle.

"They're here" Al says looking out of the window. And sure enough, Wuntch's SUV had pulled up in front of Hitchcock's house. Holt was in his driver's uniform in the front seat; Wuntch, dressed as Molly, a high class madam, was seated in the back. They got out and made their way into the house.

"Sorry we're late; Gambino has been extra careful these days, he probably knows that he is being watched by the FBI" Holt says taking off his driver hat and blazer, then sitting next to Kevin on the floor.

"Yeah, his men followed me to my fake house in Park Slope. And I had to wait until they had left to join Raymond and come here" Wuntch says, taking off her heels.

"Is there a place I can change?" She asks Hitchcock

"There's a bathroom down the hall. The flush doesn't quite work, so you have to use a bucket of water when you're done. There's some yellow stuff by the bathroom window, it's been around for a while, so don't worry about it" he tells her.

Wuntch looks as if she is about to barf. Right on cue Jake gets up to her aid.

"Don't worry Chief, my girl's got you covered" he says, showing her the black travel bag Amy had brought along.

"Here you go-surgical mask, deodorant, toilet paper rolls, toilet seat covers, rubber gloves, backup air freshener, hand sanitizer, and a battery operated fan" He piles the stuff onto her arms as he says this.

"You can do this!" Jake says, putting both his hands on Wuntch's shoulders.

"Godspeed!" Kevin says as she marches resolutely towards the bathroom, spraying air freshener every few steps.

"So, what's Victor up to?" Al asks Holt.

"He goes by the name Ian Garcia now. He looks a lot different; got surgery to alter his appearance, even had his fingerprints altered" Wuntch replies instead, returning from the bathroom, now in her sweats.

"The old regime has died out; most of the crime families have been wiped out. Victor, or Ian, is trying to re-establish their trade in the eighties; he has been meeting with a couple of shady businessmen; providing them with manpower for their illegal operations. He might be dabbling in drugs but we don't have enough on him at the moment" Holt says.

"Any progress on your end?" Wuntch asks the detectives.

"Well, we have been trying to trace his finances, his accounts in New York look clean but we are yet to get any leads on his offshore accounts" Amy says.

"His foreign accounts won't be under his name. Try the name Daniela Desoto in Swiss and Mauritian banks" Marisa advises them.

Al looks at her.

"Your grandmother" she tells his somberly.

"We are trying to find out where he was and what he did for the past thirty years-" Rosa begins

"But he has multiple identities, so it's not been easy" Charles finishes.

"He does have family in Mexico, though" Wuntch suggests.

"Hey, I'm one-sixty fourth Mexican!" Jake says eagerly.

"MY BROTHER!" Al looks at him fondly, trying to hug Jake, bumping his head against him in the process.

"Enough!" Holt says, and Jake and Al separate obediently.

"I happen to know the Mexican Ambassador, he might help us out" Kevin proposes.

"Let's follow up on our new leads and gather some more intel. We'll meet again in four days, this time at Scully's" Holt says and Scully's face lights up.

Everyone else groans.

"Well, I'm hungry again" Jake says, rubbing his stomach dramatically.

So is everyone else. The food that Terry had brought in has been polished off already.

"Pizza's on me, let's order" Wuntch says, taking out her cell.

Forty minutes later, the howls of laughter coming out of Hitchcock's house wakes up the neighbors. The game of truth and dare is taking a stranger turn after every round of drinks. The toasts are getting wilder, Gina has already proclaimed her unconditional love for Amy, Kevin and Holt are teary eyed over photographs of Cheddar. Wuntch, Amy and Jake are singing Love Story at the top of their lungs. Rosa and Al are in the middle of an arm wrestling match, cheered on by Marisa and Marcus. Charles and Terry are Waltzing in the living room. Scully is reading to Hitchcock, who has his head in his lap.

Their lives may be in peril, but as long as they have each other (and pizza and beer) they're going to be all right.


	10. Sleepless in Brooklyn

Its three a.m. in the morning and in spite of a tiresome day, the nine-nine team is wide awake, waiting for Al to return from his meeting with the FBI.

They had managed to set up a trap for Gambino and a bogus company had been set up with the help of Wuntch.

The FBI was providing agents for the undercover work and the nine-nine was responsible for gathering intel and carrying out surveillance.

The operation was largely off the record and other than the nine-nine, only Wuntch and a few select FBI officers were even aware of it happening. Mike Lawson, Wuntch and Holt's ex-Captain, had been burning the candle at both ends to keep the mission as discreet as possible.

The raid was to take place the following day, and as it inched nearer, the squad became more and more on edge. Coffee rounds were done once every thirty minutes and temper tantrums were at large. Since no one had bothered to go home, a temporary shelter had been set up in the bullpen.

Rosa had finally come through for her team. In an unforeseen gesture of solidarity, she had brought pillows and blankets from her place. She had also announced that except for Scully and Hitchcock, the rest of the team could use her shower in the morning.

 ** _Just for one day though_** , she had growled menacingly at Jake Peralta as he performed a victory dance across the room.

Terry was performing his 'stress-squats' and Gina was standing next to him, clicking his pictures from multiple angles and live-tweeting them.

Amy was reciting the attack strategy aloud for the hundredth time to herself, continuously interrupted by Jake who kept making fart-sounds every time she spoke.

They hear the elevator doors open and Al and Wuntch walk out into the bullpen.

Al heads over to the front of the room and announces to his squad "We have a plan"

"You found out where it'll happen?" Amy asks him.

"We don't know the exact location of the deal, but we have been able to identify four major spots where it could be held. We will make teams of two to scout each location" Wuntch tells them.

"Terry and I will be in Staten Island, near the boat graveyard" Al says, nodding at the Sergeant, who is dripping with sweat.

"Peralta and Diaz, you will be stationed at the cemetery on the Second Avenue" Al continues, Jake and Rosa hi-five each other.

"Santiago and Holt will run surveillance at the Central Park" Wuntch says, to Amy's utter delight.

"Boyle, you will work with Agent Lawson at the Doyers Street, Gambino's favorite haunt back in the day" Al informs a very uncomfortable Charles.

"Don't worry, you'll warm up to Mike soon enough" Wuntch tells Boyle.

"Just keep the usage of "succulent" to a minimum" the voice of Ray Holt comes from behind as he and Mike Lawson enter the bullpen.

"Gina, Scully, Hitchcock, we are counting on you to have this squad's back. You three will be our eyes and ears on this mission" Holt says.

"You'll stick with the FBI, be a pain in their ass, and make sure we are informed of any new updates. Also, you will monitor the live feed of the operation along with The Bureau" Mike tells the trio.

"You got it, Mikey" Gina says, with Hitchcock and Scully gravely nodding in agreement.

"Well, if there are no more questions, I suggest you all go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day" Holt tells his team.

"Nah, we'll just camp out here Ray-dawg. It's four in the morning" says Gina, yawning.

"I'll be in the master bedroom. See you guys in a couple of hours" Al says as he heads towards his office.

"Dibs on the break room couch" Rosa and Charles speak together.

"I said it first!" they say.

"Let's settle this. Now" Rosa says, taking off her jacket and advancing towards Charles, who is trembling a little.

"Guess I'll just head over to the evidence locker then" he says dejectedly as Rosa shuts the break room door behind her.

"Nuh-uh. No deal" Jake says, shaking his head.

"We already set up our sleeping bags in there hours ago" Amy says brightly.

"Yeah, we moved around the tables and everything. Good memories" Jake says in a reminiscing tone.

"Sorry buddy" Amy says, clapping Boyle on the back.

"Interrogation Room is taken, just FYI" says Gina not looking up from her phone.

Just then they hear a slight snoring sound. On turning around, they find Terry dozing off in his squat position.

"A little help, Cap'n?" Jake calls out to Holt, who is engrossed in a conversation with Mike in the far end of the room.

The two of them walk over and along with Jake and Boyle; finally manage to stretch Terry out in a comfortable sleeping position on the floor.

"He looks so … peaceful" Holt says putting a blanket on the Sergeant.

Jake and Mike turn to look at him.

"I don't know where that came from" he deadpans.

"I do. The Sarge is adorable" Jake says, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll stay here with him in the bullpen. He's gonna wake up hungry in two hours" Boyle says, as he spreads out a mattress on the floor, next to his desk.

"That is some squad you lead" Mike says as he and Ray walk out of the precinct.

"They're good people" Ray says with a hint of a smile.

"And they have a good leader" Mike says.

"Well, I was trained by the best" Holt says, nodding towards his ex-Captain.

Just then, an SUV pulls up in front of them.

"Enough with the chit-chat, ladies. Get in the car" Wuntch says, rolling down her window.

"Drop me off at the hotel" Mike says as he and Holt climb into the backseat.

"Not a chance. Kevin's made arrangements for the both of you." Holt says, with an air of finality in his voice.

"Alright then" Wuntch says as she drives into the twilight.


	11. The Eye Of The Tiger

"McClane, Black Widow-status report"

"No sign of Papa Bear, Queen Bey" Jake responds into the walkie- talkie.

"Damn it, Gina. Stop calling in every five minutes" Rosa barks into her mouthpiece.

"Jake's the only one who'll call me by my codename, Rosa. I am Destiny's abandoned Child. Don't take that away from me" Gina replies; unperturbed.

"By the way, Papa Bear, NOT. COOL" Al chimes in via radio.

"He's been whining about it all day" Terry's voice joins in, snatching the radio from Al.

"Hey! If YOUR father was a notorious gangster, you would "whine" about it too!" Al lashes back at him.

"Looks like someone needs a hug" Gina says, in what she thinks is a baby voice.

"Sergeant Jeffords, hug Captain Capone. That is an order" Holt's voice is heard on air. Holt and Amy were staking out Central Park, where he was dressed as a tourist. It gave him an excuse to break out his "I HEART NY" t-shirt and cap without being ridiculed by Peralta. Also he could roam about with his handy cam and recce the area without rousing suspicion from passers-by.

"WHAT HAVE MY RIBS EVER DONE TO YOU?" Al wails loudly as Terry pulls him into a bone-crushing embrace.

"He's throwing a tantrum" Terry sighs, withdrawing.

"That time of the month, Al?" Charles says, laughing at his little joke, inviting a very ugly glare from his stakeout partner.

"Anybody have an update?" Mike Lawson asks, cutting through the banter.

"The boat graveyard's clear" Terry says, peering through his binoculars.

"No signs of activity since the morning" Al agrees. Despite the fact that he was in a bitter mood since the morning, he was thankful to be on the stakeout with Terry. Before coming to the nine-nine Al was a lone wolf and always preferred to work without a partner. Terry had been having his back since the moment Al walked in as the new Captain of the nine-nine.

"Nothing here either" Rosa says "Except Peralta's losing it"

Peralta and she were staking out the cemetery where Victor's family was buried.

"Death freaks me OUT!" Jake says with manic eyes "Anybody wanna switch?"

"Eye of the Tiger, Jake" Amy says from the rooftop overlooking the Central Park. It was a better vantage point, considering the place was so crowded.

"Eye of the Tiger, Eye of the Tiger; I got this" Jake says, taking in deep breaths as he repeats Amy's mantra.

"No sign of suspicious activity here either" Mike says, as he takes a walk around the block on Doyer's street. It was quite unnecessary as his men had surrounded the place, but Mike was sure he would have killed Boyle with his bare hands if he were to listen to his Crème-Brule recipe one more time.

"Agent Kauffman, any news?" Holt asks the FBI agent in charge of surveillance.

"We got zilch. Also, I do not appreciate your people butting in while we try to do our jobs" Ted Kauffman replies in a surly tone, looking around at the small mob that had gathered in the old warehouse serving as a temporary control room.

Gina Linetti had automatically assumed that she was running the operation and was shouting orders at anyone and everyone. Scully and Hitchcock were bugging the agents who were watching the live feed from all four possible locations of the deal, and from Victor's apartment.

A wiry teenage boy, who insisted on being called "Savant" was shamelessly hacking into everyone's mainframes and extracting information and relaying it on to his teammates. Personally, Ted would have arrested the kid and put him away for a decade if he wasn't blown away by his skills.

Five of Detective Santiago's brothers, working at different levels in the NYPD, had bullied their way into the operation, and were part of the backup team.

And then there was the matter of non-NYPD employees. Gina had let them in as if civilians like them marched in and monitored high risk, confidential operations all the time.

So naturally, Ted had to put up with rants and noises of Marcus Holt, Marissa Capone, Lynn and Darlene Boyle-Linetti and Kevin Holt as well. He had half a mind to quit his job the very minute the mission was over. Iraq seemed like a child's play compared to this mini mob.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ted. They're part of the team" Holt says, chuckling at the thought of the riot taking place at the control room at this very moment.

"Hang on; I got eyes on Papa Bear!" Savant says suddenly. Blowing up the security cam footage on the big screen in the middle of the room, he shows Victor's Mustang weaving across traffic in Staten Island.

"Jeffords, Capone, he is headed your way" Ted talks into the mouthpiece.

"On it" Terry and Al speak in unison, as the former turns on the ignition, bringing the dormant car to life.

"Wait, there's another one" Ted says, pointing at the screen. And sure enough, another identical Mustang with the same number plates zooms towards Doyer's Street.

"We see one too" Rosa says.

"A black mustang just pulled up in front of Central Park" Amy says "It's exactly in my line of sight. It's as if-"

"He's watching us" Jake says, finishing the sentence for her.

This realization hits all of them like a fully loaded truck.

"Which means we just walked into a trap" says Mike, voicing everyone's worst fear.

"Wait; does that mean-" Savant begins.

"There was no deal in the first place. That son of a bitch played us all" Ted replies.

"Linda saw this coming!" Darlene cries out.

"Who?" Ted asks in frustration, while the rest look questioningly at Gina's mother.

"Her psychic" Lynn tells them.

"Don't worry, Linda's a hack. They're all going to be fine" Gina says comfortingly.

"Get them out!" Kevin hollers at him.

"All teams move back ASAP. I repeat, RETREAT NOW!" Ted yells, throwing caution to the winds.

"We just lost all contact with the Sarge and Al" Savant says, frantically typing on his keyboard to get them back.

"Command, this is Agent Krakowski from the ESU on Second Street. We just lost Peralta and Diaz"

"Amy and Holt are gone too" Savant says, his voice shrill with panic.

"Boyle and Lawson just went missing" says a member of their backup squad.

"Screw you, Linda" Gina mutters under her breath.

"Get your filthy hands off me; its expensive suede!" Boyle informs his captors as they drag him and Mike into a room.

"Shut Up" Mike advises him.

"Yes; shut up, Boyle" Holt says. Other than the fact that he is tied to a chair back- to- back with Amy, his demeanor is quite relaxed.

"Hey Captain, Amy; How's it going?" Boyle asks.

"Well, our Captors have used an excellent quality of rope. And their skill is advanced. I cannot, break free" Holt says.

"Nice of you to join us" Amy says "We were running out of brain teasers"

"Is that the best you got? Come on, son; put your elbows into it" Terry tells the throng of men who were pushing him and Al into the door. Well, trying their best to push anyway.

"Hey, Sarge; you're blocking the entrance" Jake says cheerfully as he and Rosa stand behind him.

Terry and Al voluntarily walk over to take their appointed seats, where their hands and feet are tied up. Jake and Rosa follow suit.

"So I'm gonna ask the one question that's on everyone's minds" Jake says to Gambino's men.

"What's for lunch?" he asks seriously.


	12. The Sins Of The Father

**_Five hours since the abduction_**

"Did you track them down yet?" Ted asks Savant for the fifth time that minute. He knew if anyone could achieve this impossible feat, it was this geek. His team simply did not have the mad skills to get this particular job done.

"Their cell phones have been switched off. They're off the grid. I am trying everything I can think of, every damn thing, to find them. But that cannot happen with you breathing down my neck!" Savant answers, his patience on the verge of breaking. Did Kauffman not get that they were his people too? The nine-nine was the reason he had a life, and a job. He could have just as easily been rotting away in some jail cell, if not for Terry and Holt and Gina. They had his back, and today he would have theirs.

Gina steps in to his defense.

"Back off, Kauffman. Let the man work"

Ted Kauffman looks around at the friends and family that had gathered for Holt and his team. He was beginning to find out just how many of Amy Santiago's family members were working for the government. The makeshift control room was swarming with Santiagos left, right and center; everyone volunteering to help in any way they could. And he was glad for any help he could get, because their problems seemed to be multiplying by the minute.

Madeline Wuntch had gone missing around the same time the rest of the guys were abducted. Her protective detail was found near a dumpster on the fifth avenue, with a gun-shot wound between his eyes.

Meanwhile, their mission had turned into one big joke, with Gambino knowing every single detail about their whereabouts. It had been four hours since the team went missing, and he did not have a slightest clue where they were. Video surveillance had not resulted in any leads for them. Gambino had probably vacated the premises in the middle of the night while the shift change was taking place.

It was on him. All of it. Nine officers of the NYPD had been snatched up right under his nose by a drug lord who was in the wind himself. And every time he thought of Marcus, Marissa, Kevin, Darlene, Gina, Lynn, Savant and an army of Santiagos try everything they could to help, the burden on his shoulder became heavier. They were all depending on him, and he was in no mood to disappoint them.

"Raymond Holt!" says the tall, grey haired man, looking down at his arch-nemesis."At last, we meet"

"Hello, Victor" Holt says calmly.

"Would you care for some tea?"

"I'm good, thanks"

"Suit yourself" Gambino mutters as he pours himself a hot steaming cup from the kettle on his table.

The two of them are in his study; Holt being dragged up there from the basement where his team was kept. It was evident that Victor had done well for himself during his time abroad. With plush leather furniture, Persian rugs and walls adorned with the works of Bellini and Caravaggio, the room had practically screamed royalty. From the large French windows one could see the expansive greenery that surrounded his estate, complete with a gigantic pool on the northern side. Heavily armed guards dressed entirely in black manned the grounds day in and day out.

"It's a good place you have here"

"I am glad you approve. Took me two years to get it done. That's right" he added in answer to the look of shock on Holt's face. "I have been around for a very long time"

Holt patiently waits while Gambino takes another leisurely sip of tea, his eyes fixed intently on the latter's face.

"I made a little fortune out in Europe, you see. All thanks to you people, really" Gambino says, nodding at Holt.

"My father, may his soul rest in peace, was a great businessman, legendary even. But I could not bear having to live in his shadow. I wanted to be something more than the son of the Great Carlos Gambino. And thirty years ago, you gave me that opportunity."

"After his death, I fled to Mexico, I had relatives there. It was a good life, and I was safe and sound. But something was missing. I had dreams, of becoming the man my father could not have possibly dreamt of. After some time had passed, I decided to travel around the world; and eventually fell in love with Europe. I was working a couple of odd jobs all over France when a man I worked for realized I had too much potential to be a run of the mill servant. And that's the day Victor Gambino became Ian Garcia. And he has never looked back ever since"

"Dreams do come true" Holt says; his face impassive.

"Indeed, but that was not the end" Gambino says, smiling.

"By all means, continue then"

"Something was still missing inside me. The life that I had taken thirty years to build seemed empty all of a sudden. That's when I realized that all the wealth in the world could not bring me the one thing in the world that I desired the most. Do you know what that was, Raymond?"

"I do not, Victor" said the latter, though he had a pretty good idea.

"Revenge. I returned for you, Raymond"

"Take me then, only me. Kill me, but let my team go" Holt says.

"You misunderstand, Raymond. I did not play this game with you for months just so I could kill you at the opportune moment. You killed my father and ripped my family from me; I just want to return the favor. And when you watch the life drain out of the eyes of the team you love so much, then my revenge will be complete. And then, only then will I kill you"

"You do realize that your own son is one of the people tied up in that basement, don't you?" Holt asks him.

The momentary hesitation on Victor's face made it clear that he had no idea what Holt was talking about.

"I do not have a son" Victor says with a slight edge to his voice.

"Except you do. When you escaped from the family you loved so much, you left out the part where you abandoned your wife, Natalia Marisa Gambino, who was taken into custody by the FBI. She was released two months later. By then she was five months pregnant. Her son was born later that year. Leaving them behind was the best thing you could have done for them."

Holt took a brief pause, to let Victor process this news before he continued again.

"Of course, he did not carry the family name forward. Instead he took his mother's name and grew up to be Al Capone. Don't let the name mislead you. Your son is a highly decorated officer in the NYPD, currently serving as the Captain of the ninety-ninth precinct. You see he, like you, wanted to break out of his father's shadow as well. Except, of course, you cannot hope to be half the man he is."

"I see someone headed our way!" Hitchcock yells out from the window where he was standing guard.

And sure enough, an NYPD patrol car stopped in front of the control room/warehouse. Out came a woman whose clothes were in tatters, her face covered with blood and grime. Madeline Wuntch looked ghastly, clutching her sides as if her ribs had been broken. Accompanying her was Amy's ex-boyfriend, Teddy Wells. Gina and the others helped Teddy bring her inside and set her up in the corner of the room, away from the hustle and bustle.

As Marcus drew his medical kit and tended to her wounds, Ted hovered over her, waiting for answers.

"He knew all along I was a cop. And when I went to meet with him this morning,he beat the crap out of me. He would have killed me but then he received a phone call and left." Wuntch said after she had recovered a little.

"I contacted detective Teddy Wells because he had worked with the nine-nine in the past. He assured me of his discretion and volunteered to help us"

"Because we really could use more volunteers at the moment" Ted says sarcastically, nodding at the warehouse which was filled to capacity.

"Do you know who Victor was talking to on the phone?" Gina asks.

"He said something about showing Ray the dahlias. I couldn't make head or tail of it" Wuntch says dejectedly.

"He loved those flowers, would bring them home every day from a florist on the corner of twenty seventh and park. He later had a gardener plant them on a small patch in the yard" Marisa says.

"He could have known the florist personally. What if they are still in touch?" Gina wonders aloud.

"Hey, kid; is the shop still there?" Kauffman calls out to Savant. It was unnecessary, seeing as the latter was now walking over to him with the contact details of the owner of that shop in question.

"Tony Gonzales, age fifty-six. He was Victor's childhood friend. Carlos Gambino, Victor's dad helped him set up his business" Savant says. "And the store's security footage puts him in the shop about two weeks ago"

"Let's pay him a visit then, shall we?" Robbie, Amy's elder brother says this, rolling back the cuffs of his shirt as he did.

"Yup" Milo, Robbie's twin gets up too.

"No" Teddy says."I'll go. I'm not on their radar"

And with a nod from Kauffman, Teddy rushes out of the warehouse.

"I can't believe I am kidnapped again!" Amy exclaims loudly, her face covered in sweat from her futile struggle against the ropes.

"I know! It's my second time too! If I wasn't tied up, I'd be hi-fiving you" Jake says to her. He is determined to keep any thoughts of impending doom as far away from his mind as possible. The exasperated look on Amy's face, mingled with a reluctant smile that creeps on her lips every time he makes a lame joke, is enough to keep his fears at bay.

"This is so not the family reunion I had hoped for as a kid!" Al says, his face flushed with exhaustion.

"Yeah? What did you have in mind?" Jeffords asks.

"I don't know, but I always hoped the reason my dad wasn't around was because he was too busy saving the world from the bad guys. It was a bit of a downer, really, when I discovered he was one of the bad guys" Al replies, nonchalantly.

"I hear ya" says Jake, himself being the self-appointed official authority on disappointing fathers.

"My babies are at their Nana's house today. I wish I could see them right now, before these guys put a bullet in my head." Terry says despondently.

"Come on now, don't say that" Charles says. "We're gonna get out of here. We just need a plan"

"Boyle's right Ter-Bear; we're gonna be just fine. And that's a Peralta Guarantee!" says Jake.

"Don't say that" Rosa hisses angrily at Jake. Everyone in the precinct knew all too well that a Peralta Guarantee always meant assured failure. Always.

"Yeah man, not cool. I am banning "Peralta Guarantees" effective immediately" Al says to general consent.

"I curse the day you were born!" Jake says spitefully.

"How can I help you today?" Tony Gonzales, a short, stout man walks towards Teddy Wells as the latter enters his shop.

"NYPD" Teddy says, flashing his batch at him. "Have you been in touch with this man recently?"

Tony does not even look at the image in Teddy's phone when he replies.

"No" he says curtly, walking back to his table and resuming his work."

"This man has assaulted the NYPD Chief of Police, and is about to murder eight other detectives. You will be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive from the law if you do not co-operate" Teddy says coldly.

"Wanna try again?" he says, holding out his phone again to Tony, who looks a lot more nervous now.

"I gave up on that life years ago. I'm clean, I swear I am" Tony says quietly.

"Tell me where he is, and I'll walk out of here. No harm done"

"Atta boy, Teddy. We'll meet you there" Gina says.

"We got him!" her announcement is greeted with cheers and applause from around the control room.

And all of a sudden, the entire place jolts into action. Orders are frantically shouted from all corners. Ted phones in the FBI and calls for backup. Scully and Hitchcock call for reinforcements from the NYPD. Everywhere there are cops and agents gearing up.

"What's the plan?" Roger Santiago asks Ted as fastens his bulletproof vest

"When have any of our plans ever worked? We go in, save our guys and catch the bad ones. The rest we'll figure out on the way. Come on!" he says and together they rush outside.

"Patch me up, Marcus. I need to be there" Wuntch says.

"Yes, Ma'am" Marcus says, knowing better than to argue against her.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ted asks Gina, Scully and Hitchcock, who were walking out of the warehouse.

"We're coming too. And you'll get out of the way if you know what's good for you" Gina says.

"Everyone ready?" Jake asks his teammates who are gathered around the door. Charles had apparently forgotten that he always carried around a butter knife, just in case. So they had broken free and were now attempting to break down the door.

"Hell, yeah!" Terry says.

"Let's push in three-two-ONE!" and with this, Al, Jake, Terry, Mike and Boyle slam their shoulders against the door with all their might. The bolt gets weakened and they try again. Behind them, Amy and Rosa stand in position, armed with chairs and the bars they managed to pull off of windows, ready to attack Gambino's henchmen if they barged in when the door opened.

"One more time should do it. All in, people" Al shouts encouragingly.

And with a loud BANG, it flies open. The commotion, as predicted, causes guards to rush in where they are tackled by Amy and Rosa. Together, all of them manage to tie up the guards and rush out of the room.

"Okay, I say we split up to avoid the chance of being detected. We'll keep in touch with these" Terry says as he hands around the walkie- talkies and weapons he procured from the guards. "The plan's simple. Get Holt, and then get the hell outta here"

"Aye-Aye, captain" Al says, taking one from Terry.

"We got this!" Amy says as she and Jake run out of the basement first, followed by Rosa and Charles; Terry, Al and Mike bringing up the rear.

"Yeah, we do. I feel like McClane in every Die Hard movie ever!" Jake says.


	13. The Bilateral Proposal

"Victor Gambino, we have you surrounded. Get your arse out into the ground! " Kauffman's voice echoes across the Gambino estate.

"Yeah, we got a chopper and everything. Be a good boy, Vicky !"

"GIVE ME BACK THE MIC, GINA!"

"You said your piece, Ted. It's my turn now" said Gina unperturbed, still not relinquishing her hold on the microphone.

"THAT'S NOW HOW THIS WORKS!"

Holt fought back a snicker as he heard their exchange from Victor's study.

"Looks like we got you cornered, Victor. Do as they say and we might just have some mercy on you"

"You are out of your mind if you think I will come quietly, Holt" Victor spat at him. "I am nothing if not prepared. You think I wouldn't have a secret exit or two around the house?"

Fishing out his revolver from his drawer, he walks over to Holt.

"Get up!"

They barely enter the hallway when they are stopped dead in their tracks.

It's the first time Victor Gambino meets his son.

"Going somewhere, **_Father_** ?" Al says, looking squarely into Victor's eyes, his fingers twitching on the trigger of his Beretta.

It was as if lightning had struck Victor Gambino. He stood before his son, numb and paralyzed. The young man before him was clearly his son; the same eyes, the same build, the same squared jaw. Had Victor been thirty years younger, the two of them could easily have passed off as twins.

An eternity passes before he finds it in himself to breathe again. Coming to his senses, he finds himself surrounded by Holt's team; all of them have their guns pointed at him. The game is over, but he doesn't care anymore. As he finally begins to grasp the consequences of his actions, Victor Gambino, for the first time experiences remorse.

The crowd gathered before Victor's estate broke into applause and cries of celebration as Jake, Amy, Rosa, Charles, Terry and Al walked out, safe and sound, with Holt and Mike bringing up the rear. Victor followed them, escorted by the men in Blue.

Kevin and Wuntch bolted towards Holt and nearly collided as they tried to embrace him. It became a very awkward group hug when Gina joined them, followed by Charles. Then Jake and Amy joined. Then Marcus did, dragging a very reluctant Rosa with him.

Terry was getting beaten up by Sharon's handbag while their daughters enjoyed the view with Al. Apparently Jeffords had kept his wife in the dark about the mission all this time. No-one came to his defense; some said he had it coming, while others were too terrified of his wife to stand up to her.

Marisa Capone's eyes met with her husband's as he got into the police vehicle. He looked down almost instantly, shame and guilt making it impossible for him to seek forgiveness.

Hitchcock had, yet again, removed his shirt to commemorate the occasion.

"That was a good mission, Ray"

"I'm glad you had fun, Mikey. Tell me, how did you like the scumbag's basement?"

"A little too clean and ventilated for my taste. No funny smells, kind of ruined the whole kidnapping experience for me"

"There's always a next time"

"Sure, but I think that's the last time I put my ass in danger for you, Holt. Try to solve your problems on your own for a change."

"You say that every time, Mike. Tell me that you didn't feel alive for the first time in _years_ "

"Yeah, I did feel alive, and I'd like to _stay_ that way, if you don't mind"

"First stop, Santiago's apartment" Kevin says from the driver's seat.

"What? No! Drop me off first!"

"Shut it, Charles! Amy's house is the nearest" Rosa says from somewhere in the backseat. Ten of them had been crammed into one car, because well, no one except Kevin had volunteered to take them home.

"Easy for you to say. They didn't dump _you_ in the trunk. I can't feel my legs!"

"No one in this car can feel their legs, Boyle! Stop whining!" Jake shouts from Terry's lap in the front.

And then began another round of meaningless bickering.

"Uggh Jake, stop shouting! You're making my ears hurt"

"Are you sure it's not your own voice giving you a migraine, _Al_?"

"I'll have you know that I sang in the church choir, and I would have made it to Julliard had my voice not broke"

"Oh, it's broken all right! You cry like a girl, Capone"

"Stay out of it, Rosa!"

"Make me!"

"Some squad you have here, Raymond. And here I thought working in public relations would have taught you a thing or two about dealing with difficult people"

"Oh, I can deal with _you_ just fine, _Madeline_ "

Just then, the car comes to an abrupt halt.

"Everyone out, NOW!"

It was the first time Kevin had ever lost his temper. Terrified, everyone quietly files out of the car and on to the sidewalk.

"Never have I seen a group like this. You people can take a bullet for each other without blinking an eye, get kidnapped and beaten up and still stand as one, but when it comes to behaving your age every single one of you fails miserably. My undergrads have more maturity than all of you put together"

"You people infuriate me. And that's what a family does, I guess. Mine never accepted me for being gay and I had forgotten about what it feels like to be a part of a unit, where people love you and accept you for who you are. Until I met you losers"

"The last couple of months have been hell, but all of this has been worth it because it brought me closer to you people."

"And it is my utmost honor to stand amongst New York's finest as I propose to your Captain, _again_ "

There is a loud gasp, mostly from Charles, as Kevin walks over to his husband and gets down on one knee.

"Oh my god it's happening" Jake says, eyes on the verge of tears as holds on to an equally overwhelmed Amy.

"Kevin, can you just turn around a teeny bit? I wanna get the perfect shot" Al says, angling his phone to capture the moment.

"Raymond Jacob Holt, WHAT THE HELL!" he said as dried leaves and newspaper bits were showered over the two of them.

"Street-made confetti, it's Romantic" Rosa deadpanned.

Sighing, Kevin continued "A marriage is not just two individuals, it's about creating a new family. We never had a chance to have kids of our own, but these imbeciles pretty much fit the bill."

"I Agree. It is like raising half a dozen playschoolers" Holt says "Get up, Kevin. I'll complete the rest of the proposal"

"A Bilateral Proposal. It's so- _so beautiful_!" sobs Terry.

"Kevin Cozner, will you renew your wedding vows with me? Will you have an honest to god wedding, like the one we dreamed of our entire lives? Will you marry me, _Again?_

"I will" and with this Kevin knelt down, and kissed his husband with a passion he had never dared to display in public.

"And that's how we do it in the nine-nine!"

"Damn right, Peralta. Now get your hand off my shoulder".

"Sorry, chief Wuntch"


	14. Pandemonium in the Plaza-Part 1

...three months later

"This wedding can not happen today!" Gina burst into Holt's office with a scandalized expression on her face.

"Of Course, Gina. Feel free to interrupt me mid-soup anytime you want. I am after all, at your disposal" Holt deadpans.

"I am in charge of this wedding, Captain. And the wedding planner gets to pull rank anytime she wants. And by the way-" Gina pauses for dramatic effect-"**Everybody** is at my disposal today"

"Gina, for the -" Holt checks the legal pad on his desk before continuing"-five hundred and seventy sixth time-YOU. ARE. NOT. THE. WEDDING. PLANNER. YOU. HAVE. NO. RANK. TO. PULL"

"If you think that sad old excuse for a woman, who is robbing you blind, by the way, will get together a wedding for three hundred guests, then you, my friend are sadly mistaken."

"That sad old excuse for a woman is in fact thirty two, she is the best wedding planner in all of Brooklyn and she comes highly recommended. Also, we have a guest list of

ninety-eight. See" Holt says, turning his computer screen to Gina, revealing an excel sheet of the wedding party.

Gina sat down to read, her expression become increasingly incredulous as she scanned the spreadsheet.

"Look at some of these columns. I mean, names and address are fine, but BLOOD GROUPS? Really? NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS, DETAILS OF ALLERGIES..." Gina sighed."Did you make them fill out a form when you sent out those invites,Ray?" she added in exasperation.

"As is custom" Holt said, not understanding what the problem was.

Gina sighed.

"I don't understand what the problem is" he asked eventually.

"Ughhh...Captain, you do realize you'll be getting married in a couple of hours, don't you? Why are you even here today? You are on a two week leave."

Post the arrest of Gambino, Holt had been reinstated as the Captain of the nine-nine. Al had been the happiest in months upon hearing the news; he claimed he was too youngto be holding down a desk job. Nevertheless, he had agreed to hold down the fort and cover for Holt until he and Kevin returned from their honeymoon to Italy; a weddingpresent from the nine-nine and Wuntch.

"I was on the phone with Ted Kaufman from the FBI. He was impressed by Al's work with this team. He wanted to ask if Al would be willing to work for the Bureau. I gave him in the end, it's not my decision to make."

Holt's lips had been read by Santiago, who happened to be walking past his office. Her eyes had become gigantic with shock, and the next minute she ran over to Jake and Charles to share this tidbit of information.

Of course, once Jake Peralta got to know something, it was only a matter of seconds before the rest of world found out too.

And sure enough,the next moment Congratulations began pouring in for the very stunned Al Capone, who simply stood in the middle of the bullpen while his hand was shaken,hair ruffled and back patted by his colleagues. Gina and Holt left his office to do the same.

The precinct burst into loud chants of 'AGENT AL!,AGENT AL!'which was interrupted by a loud sniff.

"Terry, are you crying?" Jake asked the large man who was hunched over his desk, bawling into his handkerchief the size of tablecloth.

"Yes Jake, I'm crying! It's what people people do when they are emotional. Al's leaving us, and Holt's getting married today, it's a lot to deal with."

"Hey, Ter-Bear, I'm still here, Aren't I?" Jake said, getting a little misty-eyed himself.

Rosa punched Terry in the shoulder"Quit it, Sarge. Crying's gross"

"You never know. In a couple of months, the FBI would realize what a pain in the ass I could send me back!" Al says bracingly.

"I would love to see them try!"Terry gnarled perilously.

"Yes, well, now that it has been settled that Capone would be thoroughly missed, assuming he does get a call from Kaufman, I would request all of you to finish your work ontime. You do NOT want to be late for this wedding. Kevin would skin all of us alive".

And the mention of Kevin's name suddenly reminded Gina of something.

"He wouldn't. That's what I came to talk to you about, Kevin's MIA."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, Kevin bailed. Tough luck, Captain" Gina shrugged, playing the voice mail he had left on Gina's phone.

Holt sank into the nearest chair.

"We have six hours before the wedding. Plenty of time to find him. Not to worry"

"And these weddings always start late." Charles says offhandedly.

Rosa stares at him.

"Name one wedding you've been to that's started on time" He adds defensively.

Rosa shrugs "Point."

"But it's Holt, I think there would be a penalty for arriving late." Terry adds.

"Our wine privileges could be revoked"

"There could be a holding cell for latecomers" Jake suggested.

"Ooh...I have one" Amy started but quelled immediately from the look Holt gave her.

"I need to go find my husband" Holt says, getting up "There will be a wedding. Be there on time" he added firmly. It was an assurance, not to his team, but to himself. He hurriedto the elevators before they could see him break down.

* * *

"Chief Wuntch, don't you look delightful!" Jake said exuberantly.

"You look half-decent too, Peralta. I need to see Raymond" she said , trying to go around him towards the door. Jake blocked her by spreading out his arms and legs.

"Whatever for?" Jake asked in surprise, as if Wuntch had made an extremely outrageous request.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I just wanted to check on him. And wish him good luck."

"He doesn't need luck, he's Holt. And he specifically said no visitors. I cannot obey a direct order" Jake said, his smile faltering slightly under Wuntch's fierce gaze.

"I will fight you to the death if I have to. I must warn you,I learned boxing from Charles Boyle, the famous Bubble-weight Champion at the Academy"

Wuntch huffed angrily.

"I'll see you later then" Jake said as he shut the door in her face.

Jake banged his head on the door once safely inside the room.

"Tell me we got something, Boyle" he said, eyes closed, forehead leaning against the door.

"I've tried calling him a bazillion times. No dice. Amy checked Holt's house and there's no one there!" Boyle cried helplessly.

"We are so screwed."

* * *

"I'm not going up there!"

"You have to! Just entertain them for a while, Rosa"

Rosa glowered at her.

"No" she said flatly.

"What do you mean,"No"? You are with Marcus aren't you? You and Holt are practically related. You gotta take one for the team, Ro-Ro" Gina said, nudging Rosa in the arm.

Rosa looked slightly uncomfortable at this.

"Webrokeupfourmonthsago" Rosa growled in a low voice.

"What's that?"

"I said, We broke up, four months ago. We didn't wanna say anything because of the Gambino thing, then there was the wedding. It would have been weird"

Gina knew Rosa too well to offer any words of sympathy.

"Listen, the crowd is getting out of control. Holt and Kevin both have really loud families, and they DO NOT get along. They would eat me alive if I go. It's got to be you. You are

the chosen one, Rosa. This is your destiny" she said, pushing the mic in Rosa's hands.

"Fine" she said, stalking off to the stage.

* * *

Al was showing the last of the guests to their seats. It was quite a disagreeable crowd and he couldn't blame them. A homosexual, interracial marriage between two families whohad downright detested each others was not going to be an easy ride. The fact that Holt and Kevin had been together for more than two decades was irrelevant. Weddingsalways brought out the worst in people. His own failed one was a bitter reminder; his fiance had left him at the altar and eloped with his field partner. Al had resolved to work alone ever since. In fact, the nine-nine was the first time he had made friends in years. The fact that he would be leaving them for the FBI left him with a sinking feeling.

"When I know, you'll know!"

Rosa's angry voice brought him out of his reverie.

The crowd was getting nastier and Al could see Rosa pull out her weapon any minute now.

Rushing to the stage, he spoke into the mic "Could I have your attention please!"

All it did was escalate the noise by a few more levels. Rosa gave him a filthy look. He had made the situation worse.

Marissa Capone had not raised a quitter. So he tried again, and got hit by Holt's aunt's purse.

"There ain't no wedding happening today!" She yelled.

"Shut up, lady!" Rosa thundered.

"Don't you dare scream at my mother,you-"

"I ONCE TRIED TO SELL MY KIDNEY TO A TRANSGENDER NAMED CHERRY FOR BUS MONEY!"

There was pin drop silence as everyone, including Rosa turned to look at Al, who was a little breathless from the yelling.

"Yeah, so that didn't really happen. The grooms are stuck in traffic, and will be here shortly. Meanwhile who's up for some Bingo?"

The guests simply continued to stare at him.

"What's the prize?" someone from Kevin's side asked.

"Yeah, what's the prize, Capone?" Rosa asked a very perplexed Al, drawing sadistic pleasure from his misery.

"The winner" Al took a theatrical pause "gets a chance to dance with the officer of their choice. And let me remind you, the detectives of the ninety-ninth precinct are physically

fit, and not to mention, VERY DESPERATE!"

There was a general assent from the crowd, not to mention a smattering of applause. Al looked quite pleased with himself.

"What the hell, Capone! You did NOT just pimp out the entire precinct!" Rosa roared at him.

Al shrugged his shoulders.

"Looks like I just did, Diaz."


	15. Pandemonium in the Plaza-Part 2

Amy scanned her legal pad one last time. It contained the list of every possible place Holt could have gone looking for Kevin. Four hours and two stops to the Gas Station later, she was at a dead end. The last place had been crossed out as well, extinguishing all hopes of salvaging this wedding. Exhausted, she threw her head back against the car seat, closing her eyes, facing the possibility that she had finally encountered the one case she could not crack. And to think that she, of all people, prided on knowing Captain Holt the best. As she hit the ignition to go back to the Plaza to join the rest of the team, her phone rang.

"Hey Jake" she said, her voice despondent.

"Hey, sunshine. Or judging by your voice, sunset"

"Very funny" she said dryly.

"If it makes you feel any better, Al got attacked by Holt's Aunt Beatrice. Rosa has turned one of the cupboards into a lockup; she's just shoving anyone who annoys her into it. The last time I checked, we had fifteen people in custody. Could be more by now. "

Amy laughs.

"I kid you not, my lady. Wuntch is on to me and Charles, we don't know how long we can keep this from her. Scully and Hitchcock are asleep. Terry is at the precinct and has a sum total of zero leads. Gina is live tweeting the whole event. Hashtag weddingfail. No caps, no spaces. We have a thousand re-tweets already."

"I don't envy you" Amy says sympathetically.

"My point is, none of us here are better off either. So stop being so hard on yourself."

"Who said I was-"

"The Amy Santiago I know would be driving herself nuts at not being able to come through for Holt. And I want her to relax because she isn't much use to anyone once she panics. This might not go down in my journal as the wedding of the century, but that train passed when Kimye got hitched-"

And something suddenly dawned on Amy

"Journal-Jake, that's, that's it!"

"What?" he asked, befuddled.

"Okay, I'll tell you something but you can't judge me on it"

"When you put it like that, of course I'll judge you."

"Jake-"

"Okay, fine. What's your deep dark secret?"

"Okay, so I have been trying to get into Captain Holt's good books even since he started at the nine-nine-"

"WHAT?" Jake said, in mock outrage.

"Yeah, so anyway, I have been maintaining a box which has journals and audio tapes containing notes of everything Holt has ever said. Ever. We might get a clue"

"I must admit I am creeped out, and a little turned on. Where's this box?"

"In my closet. It's the box labelled _Twelfth Century Literature._ I needed to ensure you never got their hands on it"

"And today, that box shall guide us on the path to eternal glory. I'll head over to your place now. See you in twenty?"

"You got it" Amy said, stepping on the accelerator, throwing her phone on the passenger seat.

* * *

"How's it going in there?" Rosa asks her cupboard captives with a menacing smile.

Twenty pairs of eyes look bemusedly at her.

"You know what, I might let one of you out if you behave for the next half hour" she says as she shuts the door in their faces.

Just then, she hears footsteps approaching the hallway.

"ALICE IS A PERFECTLY DECENT NAME FOR A BOY; SHUT UP UNCLE ALFRED!" Al furiously bellows at the fragile, seventy year old man hanging by his arm, as they make their way to the bathroom.

Al opens the door to let him in, and then turns around to look at Rosa.

"I am never attending another wedding for as long as I shall live!" he says tiredly.

"Ughh, Me too. I'm bored of just throwing people in there. Can we interrogate them ?"

"You do know we can hear you, don't you?" One of Rosa's detainees speak out from behind the Cupboard.

"Shut up, Olive!" Al and Rosa growl at her in unison.

Al looked wistfully into the distance, considering her request. It seemed quite tempting.

"No" he said faintly. Then with a little more conviction, he repeated himself "No".

As Uncle Alfred returns from the bathroom, Al detaches himself off the wall he had been leaning on.

"Hang in there, Diaz" he says, offering his arm again to the old man.

"You too, _Alice_ " Rosa said teasingly.

Al turns around and glowers at her as he and Uncle Alfred walk out of the lobby.

* * *

"Talk to me, Kevin" Raymond says after they have spent the past thirty minutes in silence.

"I thought you wanted this" he says when his husband does not reply. His tone is calm, but Kevin has been around him long enough to detect the faintest hint of pain in his voice. His heart breaks knowing that he is the cause of the said pain.

"Don't be silly, Ray. I have wanted this since the moment I met you."

"It was right here, do you remember?" he continues with a smile "We met here for the very first time. In this very spot actually. It took me all of a second to know that you were the one. And we hadn't even talked yet. I didn't even know what your name was, but I knew I had fallen in love"

"I seem to remember you calling me an uncultured moron, who wouldn't recognize good taste if it danced naked in front of me. Hardly the words of a man in love" Holt counters, chuckling.

"Yes, well, you did have deplorable taste in music, Raymond. It wasn't an insult, it was a fact" Kevin says offhandedly, leaning against Holt's shoulders.

"I have rather good taste in men, though"

"No arguments there"

They laugh.

"Let's just call off the whole thing, we could run away to Europe, forget about the world. I don't need a ceremony, Kevin. We have each other, it's enough. It always has been"

"I need a ceremony, Raymond. I need it all, the pomp, the show. I want the world to know how happy you make me, and how you make me a better man. I want to show you off and dance with you before our family and friends. That was never an issue"

"Then what was?"

"That I want it too much. That after decades of waiting, this moment has finally come. That's what scares me. Where do we go from here, now that our life's dream has come true?"

"We go wherever we want." Holt says simply.

"Anything?" Kevin inquires, looking into his husband's eyes.

"Anything" Ray assures him.

"Then I guess we have a wedding to attend"

"And a cab to call" Holt says, fishing out his phone from his pocket.

"There's no need for that. Gentlemen, your chariot awaits" Jake Peralta magically appears, from behind one of the shelves of the video store, a teary eyed Amy Santiago by his side.

"Jake, Amy, how did you find us?" Kevin asked half impressed, half surprised.

"Just another one of the miracles of Twelfth Century Literature" Jake says matter-of-fact to the confused couple.

* * *

Sergeant Terry Jeffords was in tears by the time the clock struck nine. No leads on the Captain. The helplessness he felt at the moment was similar to the the feeling two months ago, when Sharon was giving birth to their son, John. At that time, he had never felt so powerless upon hearing her crying out in pain. That, he realized, was the true test of strength, bringing a child into this world. Any fool could build his body, but being a woman was a whole different ball game altogether.

"Sarge, they did it! They found Holt! The wedding is back on!" a very out of breath Charles Boyle enters the precinct, his face flushed with excitement.

Terry gets up with such force that his desk nearly topples over. But he doesn't care. Grabbing his tux, he follows Charles out of the door.

* * *

The guests have started to leave. Though once Amy calls Rosa and tells her that she and Jake are on their way with the grooms, the mood of the place changes. Al runs over to the parking lot to stop the guests from departing the premises (going as far as flashing his badge and sealing the exits, as part of _official NYPD business_ ) and coax them back into the hall, while Rosa is made to release the hostages from the cupboard.

Terry arrives with Charles just in time to make sure the latter got the food preparations in order.

The official wedding photographer had left hours ago, so Gina takes his place. And since a professional camera is too much of a hassle to operate, her i phone will have to suffice. Kevin won't be impressed when his wedding album arrives and all he sees are selfies of Gina at different places in the Plaza.

Sharon, as it turns out, is diplomat extraordinaire. It is eventually she who placates the Holts and the Cozners and liquors them into waiting. It is she who convinces them to put aside their differences and come through for Raymond and Kevin. Impressed, Al proposes marriage to her.

Nobody wakes up Scully and Hitchcock who are snoring in the very last row; partly because they don't want another roadblock in the wedding, and partly because the two of them are somewhat tolerable when asleep. Rosa could have sworn she saw Wuntch ask one of the Plaza staff to fetch a couple of blankets for the duo.

Finally, the men of the hour arrive, and they are hurried into their rooms to be dressed and groomed for the occasion.

They walk arm in arm across the aisle, smiling at the half-drunk guests. The minister had had a bad reaction to shellfish, so it's Holt's team, ordained by the internet, who officiates the ceremony. Jake, to no one's surprise makes fart noises throughout the proceedings, aided and abetted by Rosa.

In the end, after much chaos, Raymond Holt and Kevin Cozner are re-declared husband and husband, to cheers, applause and wolf-whistles.

At the reception, Kevin's mother Lydia, the winner of Al's disastrous Bingo tournament, claims her winnings and dances with Ray. Which is followed by Kevin leading his own mother-in-law to the dance floor. All enmity dissolves as the rest of the guests follow, and dance to whatever song is next on Jake's playlist, because the wedding band had left as well.

Al and Rosa finally realize that being a foul, sinister person is much more fun once you have a partner. Consequently, they spend the rest of the evening getting wasted and insulting anyone and everyone.

Charles has the hotel chefs enamored, and gets them all to follow his culinary blog. He is last seen dancing with Angela, a good-looking lawyer who turns up at the wedding at the eleventh hour. Apparently, the two of them have been on seven dates so far. She is even known to like romantic act of having her hair washed by her lover.

Terry and Sharon dance with their daughters, holding hands and going around in circles, while Wuntch holding a sleeping baby John, looks on.

Jake finally quits teasing Amy over her psychopathic tendencies, because ultimately, being a creepy stalker had saved this wedding. And as they dance, with her head on his shoulder, Jake wonders what their own wedding would be like.

Captain Holt proudly looks on, at the family he has had and the family he has found, and feels like the luckiest man alive.


End file.
